Intel demo Light Peak laptop; production by end of 2010

Intel have been showing off their Light Peak technology again, demonstrating the 10Gbit/sec connection as integrated into a new laptop by pumping out two simultaneous HD streams to a nearby HDTV. The system used a specially adapter USB cable which paired the regular electrical wires with optical cabling, while the screen itself required a separate decoding box since it lacked the necessary Light Peak port.

As for the laptop, that gets a new 12mm square chip that converts the electrical signals into light pulses. According to Intel's chief technology officer, Justin Rattner, while 10Gbit/sec may be the headline figure - and that's simultaneous in both directions - there's theoretically no limit to the sort of bandwidth Light Peak could actually provide.

"We expect to increase that speed dramatically," he told PC Pro, "you'll see multiple displays being served by a single Light Peak connection. There's almost no limit to the bandwidth - fibres can carry trillions of bits per second." Intel expect Light Peak hardware to be available to manufacturers by the end of 2010.